Automatic station-indicator



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet.1.

QB. BISSELL. Automatic Station Indicator.

No. 236,977. 1 Patented Jan. 25,1881.

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H. B. BISS-ELL;

Automatic Station Indicator.

- No. 236,977; Patented Jan. 25, I881.

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UNITED STAIES.

Ga en HENRI BISSELL, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

AUTOMATIC .STATI ON l ND ICATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 236,977, dated January 25, 1881.

Application filed August 28, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may eoncera Be itrknown that ,I, HENRI E. BIssE L, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, Connecticut, have invented new and usefullmprovcments in AutomaticStation-lndicators, of which ,the following is a specification.

The nature of this invention relates to that class of automatic station-indicators which are designed to be arranged in the cars of a railway-train, and which are adapted to display the names of stations along the road by means of a belt bearing the names of suchstations, and arranged upon rollers which are actuated either by hand or by mechanism, to which an impulse is given at the proper moment by compressed air or steam.

My invention consists, first, in the combination, withithe. name-band in an automatic station-indicator, of the band-rollers carrying grooved pulleys, the band-driving cylinder arranged to cause the travel of the band, a pair of grooved pulleys supported in fixed bearings, a cord secured at its ends to the pulleys on the band-rollers and passing over the pulleys supported in fixed bearings, and a pulley held in suspension by the cord and connected with a weight or spring; second, in the combination, with the name-band and band-rollers in an automatic station-indicator, of the banddriving cylinder, a ratchet-wheel secured upon the shaft of the band-driving cylinder, a bellcrank lever loosely'mounted upon said shaft and carrying a reversible ratchet, and the piston-rod of a piston arrangedto be acted upon by compressed air, steam, or an electromagnetic motor, all as hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of an automatic station-indicator embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation; and Fig. 3 is a like view, illustrating the side of the apparatus which is opposite to that shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section taken on line at: or, Fig. 1.

The letter A refers to the vertical sides or standards of the main frame or casing of the apparatus, such frame being made in any manner suitable for the display of a portion of the name band or apron upon which the names of the stations are'imprinted or otherwise affixed.

The rollers 13 B, to which the ends of the band b are attached, and upon which the band is alternately wound, are journaled in the sides of the main frame or casing, and provided with the grooved pulleys C C upon their ends adjacent to one side of the casing, for the purpose presently specified.

The letter D refers to the band-drivin g cylinder, which may be either solid or hollow, and of wood or metal. It is provided with two circumferential lines of spurs or pins, 11 d, which take into the marginal lines of eyeleted holes 0 e of the band, in order to cause the band to travel from one roller to the other during the rotationof the cylinder. Upon the shaft F of this band-driving cylinder is secured a ratchet-wheel, G, and upon the same shaft,

alongside of the ratchet-wheel, is mounted loosely a bell-crank lever. H. To the upper end of the short vertical arm of this bell-crank lever is pivoted a pawl, I, and with the outer end of the long horizontal arm of this lever is connected, in any suitable way, the piston-rod P of a piston. The pawl I, which engages with the ratchet-wheel, is provided on opposite sides with a pallet or tooth, z, and an incline, i, so that when the pawl is swung round to one side of the lever, so as to engage with the ratchet, as shown in full lines, Fig. 2, the ratchet, and hence the drum, will be rotated in one direction by the vibrations of the bell-crank lever, and when the pawl is released from such engagement and swung round to the other side of the lever, so as to again engage with the ratchet, the ratchet and drum will be rotated in a reverse direction. Hence, if the band has been unrolled from the top roller and rolled upon the lower roller, a reversal of the position of the double-toothed reversing-pawl, as shown in dotted lines, will cause the band to travel back, so as to be again rolled upon the upper roller.

The compressed air or steam is admitted into the piston-casin g 19 through a pipe leading to the engine, and supplied with suitable valve mechanism under control of the engineer, and a spring, K, is arranged to depress the piston after the completion of its upstroke.

Other means than the steam-piston herein- In this class of apparatus it is essential to.

the successful operation thereof that a certain degree of tension be at all times exerted upon the name band or apron; and to this end I support upon suitable brackets the grooved pulleys L L, over which is passed a cord, M, having its ends connected to the grooved pulleys O 0 upon the band-rollers. This cord also passes around a pulley, N, which is held in suspension by the cord, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The shaft of this suspended pulley is journaled in a block, P, with which a suitable weight, R, is connected; or, in place of the weight, a spring secured to some fixture at its lower end may be employed.

To illustrate the operation of this portion of the mechanism, suppose the band-driving cylinder to be rotated so as to unroll the band from the lower roller, and that the cord is unwound froIn thepulley 0 upon the lower bandroller, and wound to a certain extent upon the upper pulley, C. Under these conditions the cord will exert a tension upon the lower pulley, so as to keep the band taut between said pulley and the band-drivin g cylinder, and said cord will at the same time exert a tension upon the upper pulley, so as to unwind itself therefrom and rotate the pulley and its roller, in order to roll up the band upon the said upper roller. As the cord unwinds from the upper pulley it is taken up by the lower pulley of the lower band-roller, which is necessarily rotated by the unrollin g of the band therefrom. A reverse movement of the band-driving cylinder and of the band causes a reversal in the winding and unwinding of the cord, it being understood that at all times the cord is wound to a certain extent upon either one or the other of the pulleys C.

S S are two spring-rollers, which have the bearings of their shafts in the sides of the standards of the main frame. These rollers may be covered with or composed of some elastic material, or their shafts may be mounted in spring journalblocks. The rollers bear upon the face of the name-band over the banddriving cylinder, so as to insure the action of the cylinder upon the band. The piston may be actuated by compressed air, by a vacuum, or by steam, or by electricity, as desired, the requisite apparatus for such motive power being readily devised and applied by any one familiar with mechanics.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination, with the name-band in an automatic station-indicator, of the bandrollers B B, carrying grooved pulleys C, the band-driving cylinder adapted to efl'ect the travel of the band, the grooved pulleys L L, with fixed bearings, the cord M, secured at its ends to the pulleys O, and passing over the pulleys L, and the pulley N, held in suspension by the cord and connected with a weight or spring, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the name-band and band-rollers in an automatic signal apparatus, of the band-driving cylinder, a ratchet-wheel secured upon the cylinder-shaft, a bell-crank lever loosely mounted upon said shaft and carrying a reversible ratchet, and the piston-rod of a piston arranged to be acted upon by compressed air, vacuum, steam, or electricity, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRI E. BISSELL. Witnesses:

A. R. HILLYER, D. E. FARRELL. 

